


Rebel Colours: Before the Mast

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Rebel Colours [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Battle, Blood and Injury, Established Relationship, Friendship/Love, M/M, Maelstrom - Freeform, Pirates, Pirates of the Caribbean References, privateers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 05:37:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16655224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: The Civil War might be over, but that doesn't mean the seas are peaceful. In the midst of a brutal battle with Privateers Laxus finally realises that he doesn't want to lose Freed before they're married, but a wedding in the midst of a sea battle might not be the best idea.





	Rebel Colours: Before the Mast

   Laxus was trying very hard not to focus on the maelstrom that they were caught in, feeling very much out of his depth even though he had been on The Raijinshuu for nearly three years now. However, most of that time had been spent in the familiar waters around the coast of Fiore where occurrences like this were fortunately rare. It was just their luck that the one time the ship had ventured into new waters, they not only managed to attract the unwelcome attention of a privateer ship but as they were readying themselves for the apparently unavoidable conflict the sea itself had decided to try and swallow them up, the sky above them opening up in unison. He was torn between admiration for Loke and Lucy who were struggling to keep the ship from heading too deep into the maelstrom, while trying to keep them in the faster flowing as they and the other ship circled one another and an overwhelming wish for them to just point the ship up and out of the maelstrom.

_I didn’t sign up for this madness…_

   It was clear that they were outgunned, the other ship had overtaken them easily and towered over them considerably, cannon flashes lining its side and Laxus grimaced as he felt The Raijinshuu shuddering under his feet with each impact. They were giving back as good as they got though, and he could just imagine Evergreen tearing strips off the crew below decks, and he had to admit that thinking about the Main Gunner was mildly reassuring, if anyone could bring about a miracle she was the one. However, that didn’t help with the immediate problem of being boarded, and he cursed as he was forced to duck to avoid a particularly nasty looking blade that had been heading towards his head, swiftly rolling back to his feet and taking the man down with a sharp blow to the throat. There had been a time when he had struggled to fight on a rolling deck, and even now his stomach was giving uneasy rolls every now and then, but he didn’t falter, and he couldn’t help but wonder when he had become a proper Pirate.

    Probably about the time he had finally acknowledged how he felt for a certain green-haired Captain, he admitted with a sigh, blocking another boarder’s sword as he glanced around for Freed. It took him a few minutes to spot the younger man through the chaos of the fight that had spread across the entire deck, dashing water out of his eyes and his stomach twisted unpleasantly as he saw Freed go down hard for a moment. It was hard to tell how bad the blow had been, but Laxus didn’t wait to see, downing his opponent and charging forward, knocking both friend and foe out of his path in his hurry to get to his partner. By the time he reached him, Freed was already struggling back to his feet, blood staining the side of his jacket from a particularly nasty looking wound on his shoulder, and Laxus had a snarl on his lips as he downed the man that had hurt Freed before offering the Captain a hand up.

“How bad is it?” He demanded, steadying the younger man when he swayed slightly and not just from the roll of the deck beneath their feet.

“I’ll live,” Freed replied shortly even as he struck out viscously, and Laxus tilted his head as he heard the dull thud behind him, swallowing slightly as he realised just how close the privateer had come to him while he was distracted.

   They had no chance to talk for the next few minutes as a fresh wave of attackers had managed to board, but he made sure not to let them put any distance between himself and Freed. Well aware that his Captain would tell him he was fine even if he was bleeding to death and as there was no time to get to Wendy, the only thing he could do was stay by his side and try and limit the number of attackers getting close enough to engage the younger man. Still, he couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of Freed fighting out of the corner of his eye, despite the weather conditions and his injury, it looked as though he was dancing and a wry smirk tugged at Laxus’ lips as he recalled how he had once fought against that same dance. That felt like a different lifetime now, and as he traded places with the younger man, narrowly deflecting a blade that had come too close to Freed for comfort he knew that he didn’t want to lose this. That he didn’t want to lose Freed. _Why did it take me so long to see that?_

“Freed!” He shouted as they took down a privateer in unison, reaching out to grab Freed’s arm as there was a brief lull in the battle around them. “Will you marry me?!” They were forced to duck apart as the next wave came at them, Freed managing to shoot him an incredulous look in between parring blow before pointing out with an edge to his voice.

“I don’t think that now is the best time!”

“Now might be the only time,” Laxus retorted, wincing as a knife caught the side of his arm, whirling to take down the offender before turning back to Freed. “I should’ve asked you sooner, but I mean it! Will you marry me?” He’d had vague thoughts of asking Freed before this, maybe when they returned to the Isle so that they didn’t have to worry about situations like this. However, glancing around them, and at the threatening sight of the maelstrom that seemed even closer than before, he knew that might not be an option given the way things were going, and there was no way he wanted their adventure to end without making Freed his in every way that was possible.

    Freed followed his gaze for a moment, seeing the same thing that Laxus saw and feeling the burn in his shoulder and he knew that the blond was right. They might not get another chance, and while the possibility of defeat left a bitter taste in his mouth, he knew that he couldn’t afford to dwell on it, and realising that Laxus was still waiting for a response he turned and glanced around wildly. His expression brightened as it landed on the object of his search - the tall First Mate who was currently up near the helm, fighting to keep the boarders away from Loke and Lucy. A gleeful expression on his face as he lost himself in the fight in the way he only ever allowed himself to when things were really bad.

“BICKSLOW!”

“What?!” No matter how wild he got, Bickslow always responded to his voice, and he could see the concern in the crimson eyes as they settled on the spreading bloodstain on Freed’s shoulder and Freed hastily continued before they could get off topic.

“You’re Captain for now!”

“Huh?” Bickslow whirled, slashing his blade across the chest of the privateer who had been sneaking up behind him, not bothering to check that he was dead before glancing back at Freed with a worried scowl. The last time he had been told to take the Captaincy, had been when Freed had rushed across to another ship and had known that there was a good chance that he wasn’t coming back and he didn’t want to encourage any madcap ideas that might see his Captain dead far sooner than any of them wanted. “What are you…?”

“Marry us!” Laxus was the one to reply, shoving Freed aside and blocking the blade that had been coming towards them, downing the man before moving so that he was back to back with the younger man. He didn’t like not being able to see Freed, but at least this way both of their backs were covered, and he had the reassurance that came from having Freed pressed up against his back.

“I’m a little busy at the moment!” Bickslow pointed out as he was forced to dart to the other side of the wheel as Lucy cried out in warning, wondering whether Freed’s unique brand of madness was starting to affect the blond as well. A Wedding in this chaos?

“Bickslow! Now!” Freed roared, shooting down an incoming boarder with a pistol he had stolen from one of the bodies at their feet, wincing as the movement jarred his injury before tossing it aside and parrying the sword that came from the side, feeling the tip gouging a line across his cheek. “NOW!” He repeated desperately. He might have been more than a little incredulous when Laxus had asked, but he knew that this was what he wanted and as he felt his ship shuddering beneath his feet he knew that they might not have much longer to make it happened.

“Fine!” Bickslow replied, realising that Freed was completely serious about this and as he watched the pair trading places and opponents just in time, he realised that he could understand the urgency. It had been a long time since they’d had an opponent like this, and it didn’t take a genius to realise that Freed and Laxus were highly aware that things were not going well for them. Gritting his teeth, he ducked a blow before bodily shoving his opponent overboard, not caring that he had just condemned the man to death in the maelstrom below. Growling, he parried another attack before leaping up on the railing so that he could look down at them. “If I did doing this I am going to come back and haunt you both!”

“That’s fine! Just get a move on!” Freed retorted, and Bickslow grinned wildly at him.

“Who’s the Captain here?”

“Hurry up!” Laxus broke in, well aware that the pair could get well and truly distracted when they started bickering and there was a fresh wave of boarders incoming. “Now would be an excellent idea!” Bickslow sighed but had to acknowledge the blond was right, making a mental note to make the most of his brief Captaincy at a later date. If they got a later date, he amended as he struggled to keep his balance.

“Dearly, beloved, we’re gathered here today before the mast,” He intoned, wondering what the point was as it was clear that the only people really listening to his words were the pair below, and he winced as it occurred to him that if they didn’t die here, then Evergreen would kill him for doing this without her. His next words were lost in a growled curse as he spun to kick a privateer in the face, sharing a brief grin with Loke who had darted in to finish the man before whirling back to look at Freed and Laxus who were struggling to avoid being separated by the new surge of attackers. “Now would be the time to say your vows!” _And possibly your prayers_ , he added silently with a wince as he realised just how close their mast was getting to the other ship’s, well aware that they were going to be in trouble if they got hooked at this stage as they were worryingly close to the centre of the maelstrom.

“Freed Justine…Captain,” Laxus didn’t have the breath for fancy vows, besides he didn’t see the point. He loved the younger man, and that was all that mattered to him, but he still managed to reach out and entwine his fingers with Freed’s as they both parried attacks and despite everything, he couldn’t keep the small smile off his lips as he asked quietly. “Do you take me to be your husband?”

“I do,” Freed’s eye glittered for a moment, glancing at their entwined hands for a moment, before spinning them to face a new attack. Downing another privateer, he turned back and lifted the hand that he was still gripping, meeting Laxus’s gaze without hesitation. “Laxus Dreyar, do you take me…” He was cut off as the blond pulled him into his side to avoid an attack, both of them lunging forward in unison to plunge their blade into their opponent’s body. “To be your husband…” They shifted again, moving with around one another with an ease that had taken years to build up, and he couldn’t stop his lips from twisting up in a wry smile at the next bit. “In sickness and it health…with health being the less likely?” The wound on his shoulder reinforcing the last bit, as did the cannonball that ripped through the railing a short distance from where they were stood. _Death might part us a little sooner than either of us want_ , he thought grimly, but he didn’t let that thought show as he caught Laxus’s soft response even over the sound of the battle raging around them.

“Then as Captain,” Bickslow shouted and Freed shot him a brief glare at the childish excitement in that declaration. Even as he silently hoped that his First Mate would never change, catching the way the older man rolled his eyes before amending his declaration. “Temporary Captain! I now pronounce you…” He was forced to pause as a man grabbed his foot, attempting to dislodge him from his position and he grunted as he smashed the hilt of his sword down on the man’s temple. “You may kiss…”

   Freed had just cut down another Privateer when Laxus grabbed him, attempting to pull him closer as Bickslow’s voice rang over the sound of the fighting, but before they could do anything they were forced to split apart. Everything hurt now and Freed was reasonably sure that his side had just been nicked as well, but all he could focus on, muscles protesting every blow and parry was the sound of Bickslow’s voice. And the warmth that came from the thought that he was so going to be married to the same man who years before had sworn that they couldn’t be friends let alone anything more. _How far we’ve come…_

“You may kiss…”

   Sensing movement behind him Freed whirled, blade already moving to intercept the one heading towards him and it took him a moment to realise that he and Laxus had both swung at each other, their blades locking as they stared at one another with wide-eyes as Bickslow’s voice rang out with even more irritation than before. “Just kiss…” Neither of them was sure who had moved first, blades lowered and pushed aside as Laxus pulled the younger man into a tighter hug and kissed him fiercely. It wasn’t their first kiss by far, and with cannon fire and the clash of blades ringing in their ears it could hardly count as the most romantic, but in that instance and with the possibility of death hanging over their heads it was perfect.

****

_‘The Raijinshuu did survive that battle albeit severely damaged and limped back to The Isle a week later. The fate of the Privateer that they encountered is unknown, but it is thought that she did escape the maelstrom. It took a couple of months for Captain Justine and Laxus Dreyar to recover from the wounds they received during this battle, but following this, the latter insisted on a more conventional wedding on land. This one was attended by all those the couple had aided in the War, but while it was a memorable day for all involved, it is the tale of their wedding aboard the Raijinshuu that is most widely known.’_

_‘History of the Rebel War’ by Levy McGarden, Former Informant and Court Historian._


End file.
